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Phrases & IdiomsIdiom guide

By and Large

“By and large” means generally or when the situation is considered as a whole. Its nautical history is unusually well supported at the terminology level: Phrase Finder documents “large” in a sailing sense in 1591 and reports the combined “by and learge” wording in Samuel Sturmy’s 1669 navigation manual; Folger independently confirms that 1669 edition exists.

ReviewedEvidence3 sourcesSectionPhrases & Idioms
Quick answer

It means “generally,” “on the whole,” or “taking everything into account.” The reviewed history supports a sailing origin, while this project still avoids claiming a single inventor or absolute first use.

Key details

Core Meaninggenerally; on the whole
Origin Statusnautical context strongly supported; absolute first use not claimed
Reviewed History1591 component terminology; 1669 combined wording reported

What the evidence supports

Supported

The modern idiom developed from sailing terminology in which “by” and “large” described different relationships to the wind.

The specialist history documents the component sailing senses and reports the combined phrase in a seventeenth-century navigation manual.

Not established

Samuel Sturmy invented the phrase in 1669.

The 1669 edition is bibliographically verified and the wording is reported there, but an occurrence does not establish coinage.

Documented timeline

  1. 1591

    “Large” documented as sailing terminology

    Phrase Finder quotes Hakluyt using “large” in the sailing/wind sense.

    predecessor formconfidence: medium
  2. 1669

    Combined form reported in Sturmy

    Phrase Finder reports “by and learge” in The Mariners Magazine; Folger independently confirms the 1669 edition and publication details.

    secondary reportedconfidence: medium-high

Variants

by and large

Current Cambridge form.

Meaning over time

Sailing terminology

“By” and “large” described sailing relative to the wind.

General overall judgment

The idiom now means generally or all things considered.

Further guidance

Chronology boundary

Phrase Finder reports the combined expression in Samuel Sturmy’s 1669 navigation manual. Folger directly confirms the bibliographic existence and date of that edition, but the exact phrase text remains specialist-reported rather than directly inspected here.

Meaning

Cambridge defines the idiom as considering a situation overall or generally.

Nautical Context

Phrase Finder explains “by” and “large” as sailing terms and quotes a 1591 use of “large” for a favorable wind.

Sources and evidence

Sources are shown with the role they play in this guide. Historical or style-sensitive claims are kept within the evidence boundary described above.

  1. By and large — meaning (opens in a new tab)Cambridge Dictionary · Current idiomatic meaning
  2. By and large — meaning and origin (opens in a new tab)Phrase Finder · Nautical history and reported 1591/1669 wording
  3. The Mariners Magazine — 1669 catalogue record (opens in a new tab)Folger Shakespeare Library · Direct bibliographic confirmation of Samuel Sturmy’s 1669 edition

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